Transportation in Serbia
Being a landlocked country Serbia is very accessible by train and road from a number of European countries. It is also well connected to the rest of the world via the Serbian Air Transport System, so getting to Serbia should present a problem except for choosing your preferred method of entry! The rural roads suffer some neglect but travelling between towns using the transport in Serbia available should be fine.
[read more]Serbia is surrounded by many European countries along its borders giving you many entry point options to choose from.
Our Serbia transportation guide will give you details on the entry points between Serbia and other European countries, flight information and the best ways for getting around Serbia. More specific information on transport in Belgrade is available. If you would like someone else to be responsible for some of your travel arrangements then you may like to see what Serbia tours are available.
Serbia Transportation Guide
Getting to Serbia
By air
Serbia is well connected to the rest of the world by the Serbian Air Transport System. The Yugoslav Air Transport maintains the Serbian Air Transport System and operates flights to and from the rest of Europe, North America, North Africa, Australia and the Middle East.
Jat Airways (JU) is the national airline of Serbia. The flight from London to Belgrade takes two hours and forty minutes. There are as yet no direct flights from the USA.
The Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) is the main airport of Serbia. It is located 12 miles (19 kilometres) to the west of Belgrade. There are buses and taxis that ply to and from the airport to Belgrade. You can also hire a car from one of the many car rental agencies at the airport.
By rail
Belgrade is connected to Croatia, Hungary, Greece, Montenegro, Turkey and Romania and Bulgaria. Trains from Western Europe come in via Budapest. The international trains have dining cars, bars and couchette coaches and some of them have the facility to transport cars as well.
By road
Serbia can be entered by road from the below mentioned cities at specified points.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - the entry points by road from here are: Bajina Basta, Badovinci, Loznica, Kotroman, Ljubovija-Bratunac, Sremska Raca-Velino Selo, Mali Zvornik-Zvornik and Uvac.
Croatia - the entry points are: Batrovci-Bajakovo, Backa Palanka, Bezdan, Bogojevo-Erdut, Nestin, Ljuba, Sid-Tovarnik and Odzaci.
Hungary - the entry points from Hungary (for Hungarian and Serbian nationals only) are: Hercegszanto-Backi Breg, (Bezdan), Szeged Roszke-Horgos, Tompa-Kelebija, Tiszasziget-Djala and Bacsalmas-Bajmok,
Romania - the entry points for Romania are: Stamora Moravita-Vatin, Portile de Fier-(Turnu Severin)-Djerdap (Kladovo), Jimbolia-Srpska Crnja and Naidas-Kaludjerova (Bela Crkva).
Bulgaria - the entry points from Bulgaria are: Kula-Vrska Cuka (Zajecar), Bregovo-Mokranje (Negotin), Kalotina-Gradina, Blagoevgrad-Delcevo, Otomanci-Ribarci and Kjustendil-Deve Bair (Kriva Palanka) and Petric-Novo Selo.
Macedonia - the following are the entry points from the (erstwhile Yugoslav republic of) Macedonia: Pohor Pcinjski and Presevo-Tabanovce.
Montenegro - the entry points from Montenegro are Gostun (near Bijelo Polje), Pljevlja and Rozaje.
By bus
Belgrade is connected by bus to important cities like Budapest, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Paris, Brussels, Zurich and Thessaloniki.
Getting around Serbia
By road
Transport in Belgrade is driven on the right. There are toll booths along highways. Vehicles registered outside Serbia are charged a higher toll than locally registered vehicles. The toll also varies with the size of the vehicle. Foreigners may pay the toll in Euros but this will attract an additional premium of 20 %. The condition of roads in the countryside is poor and it is advisable to avoid driving on these roads in the night. Do avoid the infamous Ibarska Magistrala Road as far as possible.
The road network system in Serbia is not very well developed. Firstly, the mountainous terrain of Serbia makes it difficult to construct roads. Secondly, the dilapidated economy of Serbia is unable to afford the best technology that will circumvent the geographical constraints. The only noteworthy roadway in Serbia is the Amber Route from Europe which runs through Serbia. It is used mainly for purposes of trading.
By bus
The inter city long distance bus company in Serbia is called Lasta. Apart from Lasta, a number of other regional bus operators also ply comfortable buses between Belgrade and most of the other towns in Serbia. The bus network within Serbia is efficient and regular. Tickets can be bought in advance or directly in the bus if seats are available.
By taxi
If you choose the taxi for Serbia transport it is advisable to use only those vehicles that are officially marked as taxis. Taxis in most of the main cities run by the meter. If the meters are not in use, do negotiate the fare before you get into the taxi.
Car hire
Most major international car rental companies are present at the airport and in the major cities. There are also local car rental agencies which offer cars on hire.
Trolleybuses and tramways
Trolleybuses and tramways in another form of transportation in Serbia available and these operate between the main towns. Multi journey tickets may be purchased from kiosks in advance or on board from the drivers. Passengers are required to punch their tickets in a machine on the tram or bus. Tickets bought in advance are cheaper than those bought on the bus by almost 50%.
